Bits n’ pieces from east, west and beyond
East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling:
Last Friday night Trump did a purge of U.S. military leadership, primarily women and people of color. A military specialist writing in The Atlantic said, “Now that Trump has captured the intelligence services, the Justice Department and the FBI, the military is the last piece he needs to establish a foundation for authoritarian control of the U.S. government.”
Axios: Most government agencies and unions told federal employees to ignore a recent Elon Musk email telling them to account for their work or resign. Legal actions are pending against Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and a judge is questioning DOGE’s constitutionality.
Newsweek: over 20 DOGE staffers have resigned, saying they don’t approve of their work and many of Musk’s DOGE recruits lack skills for finding fraud and waste. A federal employees’ union president accused Musk of disrespect for veteran employees by telling them to justify their work, and said “this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire” has never performed honest public service.
Musk claimed DOGE has saved $16 billion in government contracts. Various reports say his figures are off: $55 billion of “savings” lacked specific documentation, ICE “savings” were actually $8 million, not $8 billion, and claims that dead people were getting SS checks were verified as false.
Sen. Bernie Sanders has scheduled a series of coast-to-coast town halls, The Guardian reported. Sanders says the meetings aim to target resistance to Trump policies of authoritarianism, kleptocracy, massive cuts to important programs and to say “no to huge tax breaks for the richest.”
He said Republicans’ new reconciliation bill showcases their greed, and is contrary to the needs of 60% of Americans living paycheck-to-paycheck, and 25% of seniors living on less than $15,000 a year.
Trump posted on X that the “America First” reconciliation bill will make America great again. The bill proposes an $800 billion cut to Medicaid. In the past Trump said he opposed Medicaid cuts.
Various media: This week House Republicans are expected to vote on a budget that includes the following cuts: $230 billion from nutrition assistance; $800 billion from life-saving Medicaid and $330 billion from education. Rep. Rashida Tlaib proposes instead cutting $1 trillion from the military budget, and says it would cost just $11 billion to end U.S. homelessness. Republicans are asking for $150 billion more in military spending over the next decade, and $175 billion more for border security.
Numerous media say in his first month back in office Trump spent $10.7 million of taxpayers’ money to play golf.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act introduced to Congress requires voters to show either their passport or birth certificate to register to vote. Critics say 150 million Americans don’t have a passport and 69 million women don’t have a birth certificate that matches their current legal name.
On Fox News “border czar” Tom Homan confirmed he asked the Department of Justice to investigate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for holding a “Know Your Rights” webinar for complying with ICE officials. Ocasio-Cortez responded, “I am well within my duties to educate people of their rights.”
During his recent stop at the Munich Security Conference in Germany Vice President JD Vance refused to meet with Germany’s anti-fascist chancellor and instead met with Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany party, which is associated with pro-Nazi sentiments.
Russia, Trump and Musk praised Vance’s speech about stepping away from democracy. The Bulwark’s Bill Kristol: “It’s heartening that today the leaders of the two major parties in Germany are unequivocally anti-Nazi and anti-fascist. It’s horrifying that today the president and vice-president of the United States of America are not.”
Pertinent headlines: French far-right leader cancels CPAC speech over Steve Bannon’s Nazi salute; IRS employee purge…could disrupt tax-filing season; Court rules Trump can't shut down birthright citizenship; Trump administration yanks CDC flu vaccine campaign; Missouri Republicans propose state registry to track pregnant women; Fox News Host and Senate Majority Leader Thune Agree Trump Is Wrong About Ukraine [Trump said Ukraine started the war with Russia]; Republicans aim to extend a $684 billion tax break that benefits many of them; Trump expected to take control of USPS; Trump’s Department of Transportation is gutting over $20 billion in infrastructure funding Congress already approved; [Defense Secretary Pete] Hegseth refuses to say he would abide by the Geneva Conventions, and condemn torture.
Three years of Russia invading Ukraine has resulted in over 700,000 Russians dead or wounded and 426,000 dead or wounded Ukrainians, The Atlantic reported. The Institute for the Study of War says at Russia’s current rate, it will take Russia 83 years to capture the remaining 80% of Ukraine.
Blast from the past: 92 years ago this week Hitler found it convenient when Germany’s parliament building was set on fire by a Dutch socialist. Hitler blamed the fire on socialists and Jews. A month later he pushed through draconian legislation suspending people’s rights.